A Certain Game of 20 Questions
by 61wisampa
Summary: Touma, Mikoto, some wine in a single hotel room and a game of 20 questions... nothing could go wrong, right?
1. A Hotel Room and Some Wine

**Disclaimer: ...nope, not mine.**

* * *

**A Certain Game of 20 Questions**

**Prologue: A Hotel Room and Some Wine**

"I can't believe they actually locked us in here…"

Kamijou Touma said, not really speaking to anyone but since there was only one other person in the room with him, he actually expected to receive a reply. Looking behind him and away from the recently locked door, he watched Misaka Mikoto as she organized the few things they had been provided with by their friends. Her back was facing him so he could not see what her expression was but he could guess that she was pretty nervous from how stiff her movements were.

Realizing that he would now have to deal with an emotionally stressed Mikoto, he could only mutter, "Such misfortune…"

* * *

_'I can't believe this is happening! I thought we were supposed to set Ruiko and Accelerator up! Gah! Those traitors!'_ Slamming her pajama—(thank goodness Kuroko didn't replace it)—on the bed in front of her, she sighed, rubbing a finger against her forehead.

It just wasn't fair. She was the one who brought up the idea—after reading a very interesting screenplay—that they lock potential couples in a single hotel room for the last three days of their vacation. It was disguised as draw lots but Saten Ruiko and Accelerator's names were supposed to be the only ones in the draws.

She smiled softly—despite herself and the fact that her friends practically betrayed her—as she recalled the day that Ruiko admitted to her that she liked the white haired boy that has a permanent scowl on his face. Truth be told, Mikoto hadn't been surprised. Ruiko and Accelerator had been getting closer as the time passed by, and in the span of four years knowing each other and being friends (Accelerator would never admit that though), Mikoto was convinced that it was time for them to take the next step.

She turned to the side of the mini-kitchen when she heard a clattering sound, finding none other than her fellow victim browsing through the fridge. She just knew that this was one of her friends' more desperate attempts to get them together. They had known that she's had a crush on this certain spiky haired boy for years—yes, _four years_—and had been pestering her about confessing to him since the moment they found out. But even after four Valentines, four Christmases and three group vacations (this one being the third), she never did.

Mikoto never did get over her shy—and though she _loathed_ to admit, tsundere—nature. Over the years she had become more mature, and though her violent tendencies had quieted down, she'd still pick a fight with that idiot rather than tell him how she felt.

Even after years of pinning over him, her crush never faded and instead grew to something more powerful. It was actually a big relief to her when his harem thinned out after a year of being inactive in the magic side but never got around to confessing.

There was a sudden crash from his direction and Mikoto barely caught a glimpse of falling cans before Touma practically pushed his body against the fridge to prevent them from falling out.

_'Really, even though he looks older, he never changed,'_ Mikoto thought as he watched him stumble.

She would admit, he had grown nicely in the last four years. His spiky hair had been cut shorter, his build was larger and there was stubble growing on his face. Gone was the lanky boy and in his place was a man.

_'Well, if it's him I have to spend seventy-two hours with…'_ her mouth twitched to a fond smile as she watched him struggle by the fridge. Leaving her things sprawled on the bed, she approached him._ '…then I won't mind.'_

* * *

"Need some help over there?"

Touma turned at the voice, seeing the amused face of Mikoto as she approached him.

"Ah… yes, please…"

She stood behind him, touching the fridge's door to keep it from opening further, "Keep your right hand away from the cans," she ordered and he obliged. A second later, the cans he was supporting with his body floated and neatly arranged themselves back to their proper places.

He sighed in relief and grinned as he turned to her, "Thanks. That ability of yours sure is handy."

She patted his shoulder, prompting him to retreat from the fridge as she took his place. "Don't treat my ability like it's a tool. Besides, if it wasn't for your misfortune, you wouldn't need my help as often as you do."

"I guess that's true…" he laughed dryly, silently lamenting on his luck. He then looked back at her when he heard her rummaging through the fridge. "Oi, what are you doing?"

"Checking our supply, of course," she mumbled without looking at him. After another moment, she let out a pleased sound, "Wow, they even put in some pretty good wine here. Look!"

He leaned away when she suddenly thrust the bottle at his face. His brow twitched at the sight of the bottle of red wine. He wasn't all familiar with the prices of wine but seeing the what-looked-like French words written on it, he could only assume that it was quite expensive.

Turning his gaze back to Mikoto, he asked, "So uhm… when you say 'pretty good'… how much exactly is this?" He had known this girl for four years and throughout that time, their mothers had become very good friends. Because of this, the Kamijou and Misaka households spent most of their vacations together thus resulting to the two of them spending a good portion of their breaks in each other's company. He never minded though, and was actually quite thankful for it. He came to know Mikoto better because of those family outings and it resulted to a better relationship between them.

Being friends with Mikoto-ojou-sama though also brought about learning her tastes—most of which could make his wallet cry—so the phrase 'pretty good' may translate to 'expensive as hell!' in his language.

"How much?" she tilted her head lightly in thought, "If I remember correctly this type should only be about twenty-five thousand yen."

He could feel his wallet was in tears.

"How?! How can people spend that much money on liquor?!"

She frowned at his outburst, "Oi, don't make it sound like drinking wine makes you an alcoholic. It's mandatory in fine dining. Besides, did you know that wine is actually good for your health? You'll live longer if you drink some occasionally."

"That's not the point! Twenty-five thousand for a bottle?! Just how many bottles of soda can I buy with that?!"

"Sodas are bad for your health you know."

"Like I said! That's not the point!" he finally sighed in defeat while she merely looked at his slumped form quizzically, "Man, even after being friends with you for years, I still can't get used to your ojou-sama way of spending."

"Oi. What is that supposed to mean?"

"It's nothing, ojou-sama~"

Mikoto narrowed her eyes at him but said nothing. Instead, she closed the fridge, putting the bottle of wine back in its place, and walked around the kitchen, opening cupboards as she went.

Touma raised an eyebrow as he followed her with his gaze. "What are you looking for?" He asked but she merely continued with her task, not even acknowledging him. After a moment of not getting any response, he sighed, "I'm just gonna fix our stuff," he told her, heading away from the kitchen. He usually did it when their families take a vacation together so she shouldn't mind. "And I'll be taking a shower first, okay?"

He didn't get a reply and honestly, he didn't expect one either. Sighing again, he wondered how he should apologize, even though he had no idea what he did to offend her. He didn't want the person he'd be stuck with for seventy-two hours to be mad at him after all.

"Such misfortune."

* * *

Touma lay horizontally on the bed, waiting for his current roommate to finish taking her shower. There was only one bed in the room and though it was queen-sized, for a man and a woman to sleep together on the same bed was incredibly inappropriate. Not to mention, his roommate would probably blow a fuse if they share the bed.

"Thank goodness it's summer. The floor won't be so cold." He muttered, savoring what little time he had to enjoy the softness of the bed. He missed his own already.

His head jerked up when he heard the bathroom door open, revealing his roommate in a white sleeping shirt (he noted the pink frills at the bottom and the end of the sleeves) and a green short shorts with a picture of Gekota on the right hip. A towel was perched around her shoulders as she dried her damp hair, all the while walking towards where he was.

He could feel the tips of his ears burn slightly at the sight of her crossing the kitchen to approach him (and the bed). Over the years they had been friends, the tomboy he knew had grown into a very fine young woman. Her good looks had matured and so did her once humble body. Her chest had greatly developed and her already long creamy legs had become harder to ignore. He wasn't totally oblivious of how beautiful she was—contrary to popular belief—and had more than one occasion found himself staring at the hazel haired girl during their many family vacations. He has yet to be caught though and would prefer to keep it that way so he swiftly turned his gaze back to the ceiling.

Although mentally, he was still struggling.

_'Dammit. Is it just me, or her pajamas get shorter every vacation we go to?'_

"Oi," he turned his head to her who was already standing by the foot of the bed, her arms crossed over her chest and a delicate eyebrow was raised in his direction, "You don't intend to sleep on the bed, do you?"

His brow rose as well, mimicking her expression, "Oh, so you're talking to me again?"

"You don't see any other idiots I can talk to."

"Well then, soooorrryy,"—he dragged out the word dryly—"for being an idiot and getting you mad at me without even knowing." He huffed, facing the ceiling once again.

He heard her let out a low growl before sighing. Sitting at the foot of the bed, she laid down perpendicular to him, settling her lightly damp hair on his stomach. Her action was innocent enough—like he mentioned, they had spent a lot of time together in their family vacations and had grown close enough that him laying his head on her lap, or her putting her legs over his was normal—but his pulse still jumped at the contact.

"I wasn't mad—irritated, but not mad," she admitted and silently, he reveled at how less dishonest she had become with him compared to four years ago, "I really didn't know what to retort, but then I suddenly realized something about the wine."

"You finally acknowledge how expensive it really is?"

She slapped his bicep with the back of her hand, "Idiot. Are we really going back to that topic?"

"Biribiri, if you don't start seeing prices with normal eyes, you're gonna have to get married to a rich ouji-sama that will be able to fulfill all of your ojou-sama spending."

"Then I'll just have to find a rich ouji-sama then." She grinned at him before shrugging, "Won't be that difficult with papa's connections."

He felt his eye twitch involuntarily. So she wants to marry a rich bastard then? Not that he cared who she'd marry, but the guy would undoubtedly be a stuck up rich boy raised with a golden spoon in his mouth. Frankly, Touma didn't think she'd like someone like that. Sure, she may have been from a rich family (if her spending habits weren't enough of a clue) but she is in no manner a typical rich girl. She has money, but the way she acts is that of a normal girl raised in a normal family; not a snobbish bitch that looks down on people of not the same financial stature. So really, a rich guy was definitely not her type.

"I'm joking," she suddenly told him, turning her head on his belly to the direction of his face. She noticed his jaw clenched in slight annoyance and added, "C'mon, you know I don't care about that. What's got you riled up? You were the one who started it."

He felt her turn to her side and begin poking him on his chin. He was definitely not irritated about the topic of her marrying a guy that could provide for her a lot better than he could. Nope. Absolutely not. He just didn't like talking about her getting married to another guy. Period. …wait, that didn't really sound better in his mind.

Letting out a growl, he instead said, "So what was it again about the wine?"

He grabbed the hand that had been poking him before she replied, "Ah, changing the subject, are we?" when he was sure that the incessant poking was over, he let her go, but not without a grumble, "I just realized the reason why they deliberately left a bottle of wine."

He turned his head towards her, "It was deliberate?"

She nodded, "Mm-hm. And it has thirty percent alcohol content too. I'm still a minor. Did you really think they'd just leave it there knowing that?"

"Well, why did they leave it then?"

Her cute nose scrunched up at his question while her cheeks began to take on a light shade of pink, "Idiot. You really don't get it?"

"I'm asking you, aren't I?"

Her face bloomed into a deeper shade, "A boy and a girl locked in a single hotel room for three days," she stated as if he was dumb… well, maybe he was (just a little), "What do you expect to happen?"

Oh.

_Oh…_

He couldn't help but laugh nervously, "Ahaha… that's… very conducive."

"Do you even know the meaning of that word?" she suddenly asked, an eyebrow raised.

He looked dryly at her, his previous expression instantly wiped from his face, "I used the word, didn't I?"

She waved him off, "Doesn't prove anything,"

"I'm in my third year in college this coming semester. Couldn't you give me any credit for that?"

She shrugged amusedly, sitting up and smacking him on the stomach as she went, making him jerk up, "C'mon, let's do something fun. We have three whole days and I'm not wasting all of it lying on the bed. Our choices of activities are very limited but I'm not wasting my vacation."

He rubbed the place where she hit him. It didn't really hurt, but it was still tingling from the previous contact. "Who in the world thought of this stupid set-up anyway?"

She visibly flinched, making his eyebrow rise, before stiffly facing away from him as she nervously looked anywhere else but him, "Wh-who knows? It's such a stupid idea, isn't it? Ahahaha… haha…"

He narrowed his eyes suspiciously at her, "You didn't."

"D-didn't what?" she asked innocently, though the stutter was a dead giveaway.

"Biribiri…"

"F-fine! It was me, alright?!" she promptly stood up, blushing as she shrieked at him. "But I didn't plan this! Ruiko and Accelerator were supposed to be in this situation! Ugh, really those back-stabbing conniving little traitors!"

He merely stared at her, "You… were planning on setting Ruiko and Accelerator up?"

She glared at him, "Of course, you idiot. Haven't you noticed how head over heels in love that girl is with that sadistic bastard? Kami knows she needed the push."

"Calling him a 'sadistic bastard' doesn't really make it sound like you approve."

"Of course I approve! I wouldn't have thought of this plan if I didn't. And he calls me 'violent bitch'. That's just how we show our _precious friendship_."

He chose not to say a word about her overly sarcastic tone, "So if you were trying to set them up… how did we end up here?"

"Like I said, they betrayed me," she told him dryly before grumbling, "I am gonna make Kuroko and Kazari pay for this…"

He felt a little conflicted whether he should pray for their friends' safety or let Biribiri do as she pleased. While it was true that getting locked up in a room with no one but his violent friend as company hadn't been in his plan for their vacation, he realized that he really didn't mind. The Electromaster was one of his closest friends—if not the closest already—and he was actually rather thankful that of all people in their group, he had been stuck with her. Even with so many friends, he found it difficult to be in complete ease with anyone. Usually though, he hides his discomfort with an unbothered façade, as if he was oblivious of whatever awkward atmosphere had settled. Mikoto was easily one of the exceptions though, and he was a little amazed how everything felt at ease with her.

He'd never tell her that though, because if he knows Biribiri, and he's pretty sure he does, she'd turn zappy at him in embarrassment. And even after the friendship that had been built between them, her lethal lightning strikes still terrified him.

Scratching the back of his head as she continued to silently seethe, he told her, "Well, I still don't get why they chose to victimize us out of everyone. I mean, if the original purpose of this plan is to push two people together, why us? Seems like they wasted the opportunity to me."

He didn't notice how quickly she turned her head away from him when he spoke. He only realized her sudden change when she didn't reply after a moment, uncharacteristically becoming silent.

"Biribiri?" he called out to her.

"Y-yeah…" she responded, but the annoyed tone of her voice sounded forced and sad. "I don't know why they chose us either, ahaha… really, what were they thinking?"

Worry gripped his chest as she refused to face him, "Are you alright?"

After a second too long, she faced him with a bright smile making his brow twitch at how fake it was, "What do you mean? I'm absolutely fine! Why are you even asking?"

"Mikoto…" he slowly said her name in that tone that lets her know he was serious.

"I told you, it's nothing," she cheerfully waved him off as she turned towards the kitchen, "Want some snacks? I found a lot of chips around here when I did a house search. And hey, maybe we can try that wine. I may be a minor but I've had my fair share of champagne and cocktails. One of the ups of having a drunken mother I guess. I think my alcohol tolerance is strong enough to keep me sober through a couple of glasses."

He watched her silently as she spoke, no doubt trying to avoid his question. He sighed, knowing just how stubborn she was. He knew she wouldn't tell him if she really didn't want to, but he'd like to believe that their friendship is deep enough for her to ask for his help when she really couldn't handle whatever was bothering her.

Respecting her decision, he chose to wait.

* * *

Mikoto wanted to smack her head after her slip up earlier. What the hell happened to her? She could control her emotions better than that.

_'That stupid, insensitive, dense idiot!'_ she silently fumed, but she knew that getting mad at him was merely a defense mechanism to prevent herself from wallowing in self-pity.

What he had said stung. His indifference and lack of interest with the possibility of them being together had struck her deeper than she thought it would. She shouldn't have been surprised though, she argues with herself, because not once in the four years of their friendship had he given any sign of interest in her. To him, she was just a friend and that was all she was and would ever be.

She paused from gathering whatever snacks she could find to lean against the sink that was just below the cupboard she was rummaging through. Stupid. She was the stupid one. Why did she even like that idiot anyway? She sighed, putting a finger against the bridge of her nose out of habit than anything else. And now, he was worried about her and she honestly didn't think she couldn't _not _accidentally confess if he decided to continue fretting over her.

She began to wonder if she'll even survive three days with him and keep their friendship intact. Something was bound to happen—though not as extreme as what the situation may suggest—that will change their relationship for good. The liquid courage that was still in the fridge would almost guarantee that. That was the very reason why she thought of locking her two friends inside this room. It would give them the push that they so desperately needed if they ever want to be together.

But it was different with her and Touma. Ruiko and Accelerator had mutual feelings about each other. She had a one sided affection for the idiot. Anything and everything that could've led to the couple's happy ending could only go downhill with her and Touma.

The thought only made her more depressed. Stupid Touma and his stupid heroic acts to save her life. Stupid long-term middle school crush that just won't vanish. Stupid Kuroko for (probably) thinking of this in the first place. Stupid wine Stupid puppy lov—

"Need some help?"

His voice made her jump and she whipped around to find him standing just behind her.

Putting a hand over her poor surprised heart, she told him, "Don't scare me like that."

A frown made its way to his face, "What's wrong with you? You never get surprised."

It was true, because of EM waves spatial sensing, no one should be able to creep up on her and several attempts of him trying to pull a prank on her over the last four years had made him aware of that. "I'm fine," she said. But when he didn't seem satisfied, she added, "Really, it's nothing you should worry about. I was just thinking."

"You know you can tell me anything, right?"

His thoughtfulness made her smile and she didn't try to hide it, "I know."

There was a long moment of silence as she stared at her feet while he continued to scrutinize her.

There he goes again, worrying about her. It should be illegal how much concern he shows her. It was this, she remembered, that makes her fall in love with him again and again. Truth be told, she had tried several times to get over him, but every time he does something so nice, something that makes her heart beat just a little faster, and then she'll wonder why she was trying to get over him in the first place.

She let out a soft sigh, knowing that she was once again going through that endless loop of trying to fall out but miserably falling back in love with him.

"Mikoto?"

"Why were you here anyway? I told you I'd get everything, right?" she dismissed his worried tone and pushed herself to sound merry. After all, worrying him was the last thing she wanted. Or else she would—

"I wanted to help you," he replied, scratching the back of his head a little sheepishly, "I was really worried and I just couldn't help myself. But if you don't want to talk about it, I wouldn't pry." He moved beside her, opening the cupboard where the glasses were kept. He took two wine glasses, a clinking sound resounding when the glasses bumped as he showed it to her with a grin, "Let's forget about it with that wine. I'll be with you until you're ready to tell me, or when you finally solve it yourself. Just don't push me away like that again, okay?"

…or else she would fall deeper in love with him.

A wry smile made its way to her lip before she broke out into a teasing smirk, "A~ah, it sounds more like you want me to get drunk so you can take advantage of me."

"Th-the hell?! What's with that sudden accusation?!"

"Ah, you didn't deny it."

"I am not a pervert!"

"What kind of pervert would admit to that?"

"Why, you little…" setting the wine glasses down, he promptly tried to grab her while she skillfully escaped, already expecting him to react that way, "Come back here!"

She responded in an overly sweet tone, "Oh no~ Kamijou-san is trying to harass me!"

"You! We're lucky we're the only ones in here! If Shirai-san heard that she would've had a jealous rampage and I would've been killed in less than a second!"

"Oh c'mon, you know Kuroko doesn't like me like that anymore. Didn't she just announce her engagement with Kimura-san a few days ago? She wouldn't have been jealous or would have killed you. Torture you, perhaps…"

She suppressed a grin when his face drained of color.

"Such misfortune!"

Oh well, just another ride around the loop, right?

* * *

They settled themselves at the foot of the bed, a blanket laid on the floor for them to sit on like a picnic. The chips and other snacks they found were haphazardly thrown around them as Touma attempted to open the wine bottle himself (albeit Mikoto's insistence that she could do it herself. Really, men and their pride).

Touma grunted as he tried to pull the cork off, having screwed the wine opener in it, "This is pretty—_grunt—_tough!"

Mikoto watched him worriedly, "Oi, are you sure you can do it?"

"No worries! _Grunt—_I got it. It's just a little—_grunt_—tight!" the cork popped off the bottle, "There! See? No problemo!"

She smiled a little, "What, you're learning American slang now?"

He gave her a boyish grin, "Hehe, just a little," he poured her some wine before handing her the glass. He then poured himself some as well, "But enough about me. I just remembered that you graduated last week. Sorry I wasn't able to come."

She shook her head, "It's fine. Shiina-san told me you were in the middle of your finals."

"Still, I wanna make it up to you. How about I treat you to dinner when we get home? You can choose whatever fancy restaurant you want."

"Can you afford it?" she inquired playfully.

His lips quirked to a proud grin, "Of course! I've saved up quite a lot of money this past year, you know? I even have enough for your birthday present."

She couldn't help but smile at that, "Well then, thank you very much. But I'd rather we have another movie night at your dorm. It's been months since I last came over."

"Well, there's absolutely no way am I gonna reject an offer that could help me save money," she giggled and he grinned, raising his glass towards her, "So let's have a toast, to you for graduating with top honors in Nagatenjouki."

She raised hers as well, "And to you for saving money from my graduation treat."

_Clink._

"So have you decided which med school you're gonna go to?" he asked after they both took a sip.

"Not yet," she said, swirling the wine in her glass, "I already talked to Dr. Gekota and asked for his recommendations. I found out he didn't graduate from a very prestigious school but he told me to try for the best. I received acceptance letters from Harvard, Cambridge, Oxford and other universities a few weeks ago but I haven't decided yet."

He let out a whistle, "Those are really top tier universities, right there. As expected from our Level 5 prodigy," she gave him a dry look and he merely shrugged, "Well, with all those nice colleges I'm not surprised you can't make up your mind. Did Heaven Canceller tell you which one would be the best for your specialization?"

"He did, but I'm still debating whether I should study outside Academy City or just go to the Medical School that Dr. Gekota founded three years ago."

"ACMU, huh? You wanna work under him directly?"

"Well, that but I'm also trying to consider how advanced it is. Academy City's medical technology is still twenty years more advanced than the rest of the world. I just thought it might be advantageous for me since I want to be a neurologist. And it wouldn't be a bad school either. ACMU has skipped through the ranks over the past three years. This year, it was already in the top 20 medical schools in the world. In a few years, it's certain to surpass the other universities."

"That's true," he nodded, "And Accelerator's studying there too, right?"

She scoffed, "That's the _only_ down-side to that."

"Shouldn't that be a good thing? I thought he helped a lot when you were trying to master controlling nerve impulses with your ability."

"Yeah, as a test subject," she grumpily said, viciously munching on a potato chip, "And between the two of us, he should be more thankful! Who do you think is the reason that he no longer needs a crutch or the Misaka Network to function?"

"Now, now, you both got something good out of it so it's a win-win situation, right?"

"As if. I could've gotten someone else. I was already confident with my ability that time so there wasn't really even any risk. And it was Ruiko who suggested it. That bastard should be grateful she likes him so much…"

He chuckled, "You know, I'm pretty amazed that you didn't lock Ruiko in a cage the moment you found out she met Accelerator. If I recall correctly, you were the one who told her to give him a chance when she found out about his past, right?"

"That's because he deserved one," she responded seriously, her gaze becoming far-off, "He saved Last Order so many times and protected my Sisters. And we were both equally at fault for what happened back then, so I couldn't wash my hands of everything without cleaning his name too. Those are the only reasons why we haven't murdered each other."

"That sounds like a rather shaky foundation for a relationship, considering you two seem to get along pretty well."

"Hmph. The only reason why I _try_ to be civilized with him is because I want to be Ruiko's bridesmaid on their wedding. Not even that _jerk_ could stop that."

He just shook his head, amused, "They're not even dating and already you're planning the wedding?" she stuck her tongue out at him in reply, "But speaking of weddings, has Shirai-san decided when it would be?"

"Well, she said she wanted to graduate high school first. Kimura-san agreed with her but they're still thinking whether they'd get married immediately after that or wait until Kuroko finishes her undergrad course first. Kimura-san is very patient but Kuroko seems to want to just get the whole wedding thing over with." She suddenly shivered, her gaze turning unfocused, "I think she's just excited about the honeymoon… the plans that girl already has in mind…"

Touma was a little confused but still seemed to find the ordeal quite funny, "I'm guessing Shaira-san's…_bold…_ nature is kicking in?"

"No matter how old that girl gets, she'd still be a pervert."

He let out a laugh at that before saying, "But you know, for a pair of fixed-marriage couple, they get along really well."

"Oh, they care a great deal about each other alright." She told him with a smile, "They may not be in love with each other just yet but they're getting there fast."

"You know, you never did tell me how their marriage interview went. How did they meet? And how in the world did Shirai-san even begin consider someone that's not you as a suitable romantic partner?"

"Sorry, girl talk topic so my lips"—she moved her thumb and forefinger across her lips as if closing a zipper—"are sealed."

He almost rolled his eyes, "Girls."

"Boys," she retorted playfully, "If guys have a 'bros before hoes' thing, girls have a 'gals before pals'."

He gave her a look, "Did you just make that up?"

"Yes, and it will from here on forth, be listed under the girl code."

He only let out a chuckle, popping a chip into his mouth as she took another sip of the expensive liquor, "So what do you want to do now? We've got a lot of time to waste."

She paused for a moment, in thought, "Let's play 20 questions."

"What's that?"

She grinned as she explained, "We'll take turns to ask each other ten questions each. It could be anything about the other person, even really personal ones. But you have to promise that everything uttered in this room will stay in this room."

He shrugged, not really having any other ideas, "Fair enough. Are there any rules?"

"You can't repeat a question I already asked, and once you've stated your question, you can't change it. Also, you have to answer all of my questions truthfully. No half assed lies."

"Alright then. Bring it."

"Wait a sec," he watched her as she promptly stood and headed to one of the bedside drawers. Shuffling through it, she produced a single sheet of paper and a pen. Once she was seated beside him again, she neatly tore the paper into a strip before dividing it into twenty squares using the pen, having the dimensions 2 by 10. When she finished, she fished out two Gekota merchandise from her pocket; one was the normal shade of green while the other was pink with a bow.

He blinked at the items she held out to him, "Is that a finger doll?"

"It's for keeping track of the questions," she explained before thrusting the green one to his face, "Here, I'll even let you have Gekota! I'll just take Pyonko."

He couldn't prevent the amused smile that crept onto his face as he took it, "Alright then."

"One last thing," she suddenly held her pinky towards him, "Pinky swear first."

Again, he chuckled at another one of her childish acts, "Really?"

"Yes," was her only retort before sticking her tongue out at him.

He could only shake his head as he relented, "Fine."

They locked pinkies and together they chanted, "_Yubikiri genman, uso tsuitara hari senbon nomasu, yubi kitta_!"

And with that, their game of twenty questions began.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

The Pinky Promise at the end means **"Pinky promise pledge: If you're lying, I'll make you drink a thousand needles. Pinky promised!"**

Just wanna say that I wan not supposed to post this here on FF this year XDD to those who have been reading my other story _'What Causes a Spark'_ this is the reason why i haven't updated XD sorry about that but I'm too excited for this haha!

To make it clear, this is **4 years after the timeline of To Aru** so Mikoto is supposed to be 17 or 18 and Touma somewhere around 20 or 21. And yes, I made the main characters friends and** totally eliminated the Magic side XDDD** and if you think they're OOC, well, they're supposed to be. They grew up. Mikoto can't be a massive tsundere with Touma forever :)

I do ship** SatenXAccel** because for some reason, i find them cute... **DON'T JUDGE!** the Railgun girls also supposedly knows about the Sisters. How that happened, I still haven't an idea XD

About Kuroko getting engaged, I'd like to confirm that yes, Kimura-san is supposed to be a guy. I've always thought that maybe Kuroko is the daughter of some bigshot company president and she was to be heir XDD of course, the cliche reasons why there's an arranged marriage comes in and viola! Kuroko's engaged. And if some of you are hardcore MikoKuro fans or people that just believes Kuroko is a lesbian through and through,** I have my reasons to believe that before Mikoto, Kuroko was straight.**

***Spoilers Alert***

Exhibit A! (first and last): In** Chapter 54 of the Railgun manga,** Kuroko and the others had their memories tampered with by Misaki, thus making them forget who Mikoto was. During this ordeal, some bad guy decides to hold Uiharu and Misuzu-san hostage as leverage against Mikoto. Luckily, Kuroko was around and helped her get both Uiharu and Misuzi-san to safety. After the ordeal, Mikoto says some things that could make anyone (even me) develop a crush on her-(and I quote, **"I trust you to protect her, Kuroko"**)-and gets Kuroko flustered. Kuroko retorts with a very unconvincing, _**"I DO NOT SWING THAT WAY!"**_

***Spoilers End***

So yeah, i think Kuroko _was_ straight until she met Mikoto XDD Our Railgun-sama is so awesome!

The story of Kimura-san and Kuroko though... it is a story for another time and if enough people are interested or if i ever go around to writing it, I'll post it here ;)

If you can understand Filipino even just a little, I suggest you read the inspiration of this story, **"20 Questions", a play written by Juan Ekis**. It is simply amazing. It's taglish so... yeah...

Oh, and before I forget, **don't tell anyone I let Mikoto drink alcohol, alright?** She's still a minor hehe

You may have more questions about the pieces of information in this chapter so feel free to ask XDD although, i may not be allowed to answer some of them :))) spoilers, you know

~What do you think? Are you interested about the 20 Questions they're gonna play?

If you are and **have a question to ask either of them**, feel free to tell me! The 20 questions aren't complete yet so your question just might appear in this story :))

~Please **leave a Favorite, or Follow or a Review** and tell me how it is. Also, please share this story to your fellow Kamikoto shipper friends. It helps us writers a lot :D

~You can also visit my tumblr: **61wisampa dot tumblr dot com**. I always post unfinished chapters there so if you want sneak peaks, feel free to visit it :D

~I hope I'll see you guys on the next chapter!

**~~61wisampa**


	2. Extra: The Draw Lots

**Disclaimer: If I owned To Aru, I won't be here in fanfic XD**

* * *

**Extra: The Draw Lots**

"Are we all clear about the plan?" Mikoto asked her two conspirators in a low voice while they were separated from the rest of the group.

Kazari nodded attentively, "We got it, Mikoto-san. I'm gonna write everyone's names on the papers to show them that we're not cheating."

"And I'll be pretending to put it inside the box," Kuroko continued, "that's filled with Ruiko and Accelerator's names, teleporting those that Kazari wrote somewhere else."

"Perfect!" Mikoto exclaimed quietly and enthusiastically at the same time, shaking the box the she held in her hands, "Now, Operation: Get Ruiko and the Bastard Together shall commence!" she announced before walking purposely towards the lounge area where the rest of the group were.

Kazari and Kuroko shared an amused smile before the former remarked, "Do you think she'll kill us after this, Kuroko-san?"

The teleporter merely sighed, "If it goes well, perhaps not. Hopefully it will go according to plan. I simply cannot die unmarried."

**~(0_0~)..\(0-0\)..(|0-0|)..(/0-0)/..(~0_0)~**

"Alright! What do you guys say? It's interesting, right?" Mikoto excitedly said, looking at her friends.

Ruiko was the first to reply, "Cool, count me in!"

Accelerator, who was sitting beside Ruiko, snorted, "What a shitty idea," he commented, prompting Ruiko to slap him on the arm. He gave her a 'what the hell?' look which she responded with a stern look.

"Nyah~ as long as there are condoms available in the room, count me in!" Tsuchimikado remarked, earning a blush and a glare from the Electromaster.

"There will be no such thing!"

"Aw c'mon, Misaka-chan. A boy and a girl locked in single room for three days, do you really think nothing kinky is gonna happen nyah?"

"Shut up, you perverted creep!" The box she was holding promptly soared through the air before hitting the blonde male in the face, "Or I'll tell Maika!"

With a bleeding nose, Tsuchimikado fell silent.

"Ooh, ooh! Do we get to join too?, says Misaka as Misaka asks about the game!" Last Order piped up, her friends Fremea and Kreutune beside her.

Mikoto smiled down at her little sister, "Sorry, Last Order, but for your protection, you're not gonna be included."

"Eh? Why not?, says Misaka as Misaka becomes disappointed."

"Essentially, we're not of the same age group as them so we're not allowed to do those grown up activities yet," Fremea told the little clone, sounding very educative.

"What grown up activities?"

"Kinuhata said it's called 'sex'," Mikoto blushed at the younger blonde's words, "and that Hamazura and Takitsubo are doing it when no one else is home. Essentially, Kinuhata said they were fu-"

"Okay! That's enough information!" Mikoto cut her off, waving her hands around frantically to stop he sister's friend from saying anything inappropriate.

The last person of the younger kids' group quietly spoke, "...is sex tasty?" Kreutune suddenly asked.

Mikoto's cheeks exploded, her face doing a great job of imitating a tomato. Touma, who had been listening the whole time, finally intervened, having mercy on the Electromaster.

"Alright, that's enough, you three," Touma gently told them, making them stop. He turned back to Mikoto, "So? What was it about again?"

"Ah, well, let's wait for the others first."

At that moment, Fukiyose Seiri and Himegami Aisa emerged from one of the rooms. "We're here, Misaka-chan. So what is it?"

Mikoto explained the plan, saying her intention in making it into a tradition, as Kazari, who had been quietly standing beside Kuroko the whole time, wrote their names on several pieces of paper before handing them to Kuroko who put it inside the box.

"So all we have to do is draw lots! The names of the first boy and first girl to be drawn would have to stay in the room that we reserved. No backing out!" Mikoto explained, shaking the box more for theatrics than anything else.

"Alright! Can I draw?" Ruiko asked, approaching the hazel haired girl.

Grinning inwardly, Mikoto handed her the box.

Ruiko stuck her hand inside, picking a piece of paper.

Unbeknownst to everyone but Kuroko and Kazari, the Teleporter was rigging the draws, teleporting one of the two papers she was holding into Ruiko's hand.

Pulling out the paper she got, she read the name written and cheerfully exclaimed, "Kamijou Touma!"

Mikoto was wide-eyed, "What?!"

Said boy's head dropped, "Such misfortune."

The next one immediately came next, "And Misaka Mikoto!"

"WHAT?!" said girl bellowed.

Ruiko continued like nothing happened, "Congratulations! You're gonna get locked up in a single room for seventy-two hours!"

It was not easy, locking a Level 5 inside a room, but after a little bribing and pulling at the Electromaster's heartstrings (Gekota, lots of it), Misaka Mikoto and Kamijou Touma were officially detained in a single room.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

**Nope, not really an update XDDD**

Sorry guys but chapter 1 is really long and when I saw that it's almost been a month since I posted anything To Aru related, I kinda thought I should post _something _soon. And yes, yes,** I know the Extra chapters are supposed to be after the whole story** but **I've got something evil planned for the last chapter and I don't wanna ruin it *evil smirk***

**Again, sorry guys but you're gonna have to wait a little longer** for the real update. I'm on the **8th question now so it won't be long until I posted the first chapter :))** and by the way, I wasn't even planning on writing this but the idea just popped out of nowhere (in the middle of the night) and i couldn't sleep until I typed it down XDDD

Oh well, a pointless chapter but expect the next two chapters to be really long.

omg I'm so excited for the last chapter XDD

My other stor**y What Causes a Spark is still... unfinished XDD** blame this story haha i need inspiration! I can't think of any Kamikoto fluff to write for it. Hopefully, I'll finish it before the year ends :))

Anyways, to those who bothered reading this, thanks XDD at least you guys have an idea as to who are with them hahaha and Himegami didn't have any lines... sorry Aisa-chan X33

A pointless Author's Notes for a pointless chapter XDD hope you'll still look forward to **Chapter 1 where we'll tackle Questions 1-10 :))))))))** hoho if you've read some of the previews on my tumblr, you'd be as excited as I am XDD

okay, that's enough babbling.** You can just send me all the tomatoes and other unpleasant fruits and vegetables you wanna throw at me in a Review or something XD** but **this fic is gonna get depressing fast** and i wanna lighten up the mood a little, i guess :)

**Hope I'll see you in the real Chapter 1 X333**

**~~61wisampa**


	3. Because Love Talks Cannot Be Avoided

**Disclaimer: They'd be married by now if I owned them...**

**Reminders/Suggestions: **Make sure _italization _can be viewed while you're reading this because if it isn't, you won't understand it. So if the word _italization_ isn't italisized to you, try another browser or something XDD and just as the title suggests, things WILL get depressing fast

Line dividers are there to indicate POV change

* * *

**Chapter I: Because Love Talks Cannot Be Avoided and Things Like These Always Get Depressing Fast**

Without further ado, Mikoto stated, "Alright! I'll start, okay?"

Touma really had no idea what kind of questions to ask so he didn't protest against the fact that she would go first, "Go on."

She moved her Pyonko finger doll onto her first square before saying, "What is the luckiest thing that has ever happened to you?"

He gave her a look, his eyes narrowing, "We just started and already you're taking a jab at my luck," he noted, letting out a huge sigh, "Such misfortune."

Her cheeks reddened a little, "Am not! If I was, I'd be asking the opposite! Besides, with your horrible luck, shouldn't the question be easy for you to answer?"

He scratched the back of his head, "I guess…" A pause,"Well, to answer your question, it would be going to Academy City. I've told you about this; that apparently, when I was a kid, my luck was so bad that I was treated like a plague."

His answer brought a frown to her pretty face, "That's not a very happy background story, considering it's supposed to be the best thing that happened to you."

"Honestly, it doesn't bother me all that much. I don't remember how bad it was anyway so it's easier to talk about it." He merely shrugged, but it failed to smoothen out the crease between her eyebrows, "But still, I'm thankful my dad sent me there. I met so many people. I'm happy there. And I'd like to think the original Kamijou Touma was happy there too."

There was a pause as she studied him and his answer. After a moment, her lips twitched up, seemingly satisfied, "Well, whether you like it or not, the so called _'original Kamijou Touma'_ is still somewhere here," she pressed a finger to his chest, pointing to where his heart was located,"so if you were able to find happiness in the life he left, I'm sure he had been happy as well."

He couldn't help but smile at her words, "You're right," he agreed, but the added, "How could he not have been happy when he's friends with a human lightning rod who likes to chase him around the city all night demanding a battle?"

That familiar blush once again appeared on her cheeks, "T-t-that was years ago! Won't you ever let that go, you idiot?!"

He laughed, "I'm just kidding. You're so easy to tease, you know that, Biribiri?"

A pout was her response, "Will you ever stop calling me that? Really, you didn't change a bit. You know, even before you lost your memories you used to call me that."

"Really?"

"Yes," she grumbled unhappily and for a passing second, he thought she looked cute,"That's why I didn't even notice it when we met again at that vending machine."

He hummed in thought, cupping his chin with his hand, "I guess it's a good thing too. I didn't know your name so it made it easier for me when you introduced yourself," he then recalled the lightning strike that came along with—what is to him—her first introduction and it made him grimace, "Well… maybe not…"

"Hn? What did you say?"

"Ah, it's nothing! It's nothing…" he silently thanked his remaining lucky stars that she didn't hear. "Anyway, I just thought of a question."

"Go."

He set the Gekota finger doll on his first square while she sipped on her wine, "How did we meet?"

She blinked, "Eh?"

"How was our very first meeting like?" he repeated, turning his gaze to her, "To me, our first meeting was in front of that vending machine, but to you, it isn't." he began scratching the back of his head, "Actually, I can't believe I haven't asked you this before… I never really thought much of it… but if you don't remember, that's fine, I guess."

She didn't answer right away, instead taking another random snack and opening it before setting it between them and taking a bite. He patiently waited until she spoke, "We met that same year, a few months before the whole experiment ordeal. I met you before Ruiko and Kazari, and before Kuroko even became my roommate." He listened intently as she continued with a small smile, "I was out late, surrounded by a group of wannabe delinquents. It's funny because I distinctly remember thinking that if there's anyone willing to stand up for a stranger like me, he could only be an idiot," she then faced him with a huge grin, "And imagine who came right at that moment, pretending to be my friend?"

His face contorted, unsure whether he should be embarrassed or annoyed at her teasing. He chose neither and instead grumbled, "So that's why 'Idiot' became my permanent nickname."

She burst out giggling, "Yeah, I guess so," she said, trying to hold her laughter in, "Anyway, I didn't understand why you were even pretending to know me so your 'pretend-to-be-a-friend-and-escape' plan epically failed. And when you used, what I would guess, your plan B, you ended up offending me and I shocked everyone within two meter radius around me."

"Ouch. But I guess I survived, huh?"

"You were unscathed." She corrected, "And that was the first time I challenged you to a duel. The rest, you probably know what happened."

"…I got chased around the city by the third strongest Level 5." He let out a deep sigh, "Such misfortune."

"You lose a year with each sigh," she stated, "Anyway, it's my turn, okay?"

"Hai, hai, just don't rub my horrible luck at my face again…"

A pause as she moved her Pyonko finger doll, "Well… I hope you won't get offended…"

That caught his attention, "What is it?"

Hesitantly, she asked, "Did you ever regret having to lose your memories?"

He didn't answer right away, a little surprised at her question. He never really thought about it but now that she was asking, it made him wonder. "That's a really hard question."

"Sorry. If it's too much—"

"Hey, it's the rules of the game that we can't change the question and neither can we not answer them," He reassured but she still looked hesitant, "Honestly, I'm more surprised than anything else. I've never really given it much thought."

He scratched the back of his head, drinking a little liquid courage, as he thought back to that moment when he first woke up without his memories. At the time, he wasn't really given any chance to worry about it. He woke up in the life of Kamijou Touma and from that moment on, he had pretended to be that boy just so the girl with silver hair would not cry. Everything else that happened after that ultimately originated from the fact that he lost his memories.

But did he ever regret it? Did he ever regret saving someone at the cost of his memories?

"No," he answered, "Not when so much had been saved because of it."

"That's not what I meant," he turned to her to see an unsatisfied expression on her face, "Without thinking of the stakes, of who would be saved or not, did you ever regret forgetting?"

"Well, that's… potentially a more difficult question," he told her, not really knowing what to say, "So many things happened because I forgot."

"What if Index-san would still have been saved that night? What if that barcode guy and the lady with the katana found a way to not erase her memories? Would you have preferred that it happened that way, without sacrificing your memories?"

He thought for a long moment while she patiently waited for his answer until he finally spoke. "No, I wouldn't have wanted that," he finally said, "Maybe it's me being selfish because if I didn't lose my memories that night, it wouldn't be me that's with you right now. Actually, I don't even know if we'd be as close as we are if I didn't forget. I might not have been in front of that vending machine and I wouldn't have known what was happening to you…" realization suddenly sank in, "Which means you—"

"You're thinking too much," she cut him off by pressing her fingers against his lips. He knew she was aware of what would've happened that night. If they hadn't met that time, no one would've stopped her from fighting Accelerator to try and save her Sisters.

She wouldn't have survived that night.

The thought brought a frown to his face and she easily noticed his distress. Sighing, she removed her fingers from his lips as she continued, "I didn't mean it like that, you know? All I wanted to know is if you miss it—your past, I mean—and if you ever wondered how you were when you were a kid. Who was your first friend? What was your favorite childhood anime? What did the house you grew up in look like? I didn't think you'd come up with such grim thoughts. And it's so early in the game too."

"Sorry," he said, offering a small apologetic smile, "But if you put it that way, I guess sometimes I do think of it. It certainly feels different knowing things through pictures instead of remembering them. But I won't take back my answer. I may have forgotten but I'm completely happy where I am right now. So there's nothing I regret."

She sent him a pleased smile, "Very well said."

He took his Gekota finger doll and moved it to the next square, "It's my turn then."

"Just don't ask depressing questions. We're only in our fourth so leave the heavy stuff for later when we're drunk enough." She remarked, finishing the rest of her first glass.

He followed suit and refilled her glass with wine, "Alright, but let me think of something first."

* * *

They were silent for a while as Touma poured himself more wine and tried to think of a question. Mikoto quietly waited, munching on a stick of strawberry pocky as he pondered.

After a long moment, he asked while she was sipping her wine, "What would you do if your little sisters got a boyfriend?"

She almost sprayed the liquor out of her mouth but thankfully (or not), she was able to stop herself and ended up choking instead. She pounded her chest as she coughed, willing the burning alcohol out of her lungs. Touma frantically rubbed her back, apologizing as he tried to help her recover her breath.

When the violent coughs somehow subsided, she panted out, "What the hell?!"

He merely blinked at her, muttering an unintelligent "Huh?" at her.

Her blood was simmering because when he said 'little sisters' he could only mean her clones. And if he asked something like that, it could only mean…

Overshadowing the jealousy bubbling up in the pit of her stomach, her big sister instincts kicked in, "STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM MY SISTERS!" she shouted, hitting him on the head with as much force as she could.

He cried out in pain, rubbing the new bump on his head, "_What the hell, Biribiri?!_ Are you nuts? Why'd you suddenly hit me?!"

"You pervert! Don't you dare approach my Sisters! If you lay one finger on them I'll toast your vile existence till it's as dark as your perverted thoughts!"

"What are you talking about?! I have no plans on hitting on any of your Sisters! I was just asking!"

"And why _the hell_ would you even ask me that if not to date them?!"

"I just wanted to know how you'd react when you find out that someone's trying to ask Last Order out!"

"…"

"…uh… no, I never said that. Haha! There's absolutely no one trying to date her!"

Mikoto's face was so twisted in shock that Touma would've laughed if he wasn't so afraid of how she would react.

For a moment, her mind went blank. The inevitability of her little Sisters dating someone had been something neither she nor Accelerator (the proclaimed _otou-san_) acknowledged before. While the mere mention of a boy's name could send _Otou-san_ in a violent overprotective father rampage, it had never really bothered her before. The reason for that may be the fact that she was well aware that Last Order _does_ have male friends in a completely platonic way. Also, Last Order liked sharing stories about her friends to both Mikoto and Ruiko, so if anyone dared to date her, most likely the two older girls would know.

But Mikoto's little clone never told her. Somehow, the secrecy and the fact that _someone was trying to date her Sister without asking for her permission (the little bastard!)_ brought forth a feeling of protectiveness with her Sisters that has never quite been so strong before.

It didn't take long for her to finally explode, "YOU!" she grabbed Touma's collar and proceeded to shaking him back and forth, "WHO'S THE LITTLE BRAT?! TELL ME! IS HE OLDER THAN HER?! WHAT SCHOOL DOES HE GO TO?! AND **_WHY THE HELL DID YOU NOT TELL ME SOONER_**?!"

"Guwah! Biri—biri! Calm—down!" he gasped out as she continued to shake him violently.

"HOW CAN I CALM DOWN WHEN MY LITTLE SISTER IS BEING HIT ON BY SOME RANDOM KID WITHOUT ME KNOWING?!"

"But—you're—acting—like—Acce—lera—tor!"

"I'M NOT ACTING LIKE THAT JERK!" she screamed before finally loosening her hold on Touma and ceasing from shaking him. She panted as she continued to glare at him, intent on making him answer. "So? Who's the kid? And how come _you _know when _I_ don't?"

He fixed his collar as he answered, "He's a classmate from Sakugawa Middle School. Actually, even I wouldn't know if I didn't bump into them when I visited District 7. Fremea and Kreutune were with her and after we talked a little, this kid suddenly approached me and asked if I was Last Order's big brother."

"He was stalking Last Order?! The nerve of that kid!"

"Yes, yes, anyway," he blatantly ignored her random outburst, "When I said that I wasn't but I'm a close friend of her older sister, he started asking me questions about the things she likes and whatnot. He also asked if you'd be okay if he dated your little sister."

"Gah! I can't believe that little monster! Did he seriously think I'd let a spineless brat like him date my little sister?!"

"Relax. Last Order doesn't even know. Although Fremea and Kreutune noticed, Last Order just thinks that the kid is being nice to her whenever he asks her out. So as to his progress in trying to date your sister, he actually hasn't made any yet."

"And what? Do you really expect me to just sit and watch until he does? No way in hell!"

He sighed heavily, scratching the back of his head, "Last Order sure has it tough. At this rate, she'll never get a boyfriend, not with you and Accelerator hovering over her personal life. Do you want her to stay single for the rest of her life like you?"

A vein most certainly popped on her forehead, "_What did you say…?_"

He seemed to have finally realized what he said wrong and began panicking, "N-no! I didn't mean it like that! I—"

"YOU IDIOT! DID YOU JUST IMPLY THAT I CAN'T GET A BOYFRIEND IF I WANTED TO?!"

"That's not what I meant! Gah! Stop, Biribiri!"

Several electric shocks and countless flying metal objects later, Touma successfully calmed Mikoto down, keeping his right hand on her head as precaution. He silently thanked whatever power in the universe that kept their glasses from exploding from her electric shocks.

He let out a sigh, but didn't remove his hand from her head, "I was referring to Shirai-san. I mean really, how many boys has she chased away from you? And what I meant was Accelerator. One overprotective guardian is enough for Last Order. If you ever want her to have a boyfriend like any normal girl, you're gonna have to back her up, not kill every guy that takes interest in her."

She huffed, slapping his hand away. He didn't protest. "I get it. Geez, you should really learn to word your sentences properly."

"And you have to learn to control your temper," he chastised and she responded by sticking her tongue out at him, "But seriously, are you gonna go all protective of her? I mean, what if she finds a guy she actually likes?"

"If she likes someone, believe me, I'll be the first one to push her, but I don't like the sound of that kid, stalking her instead of asking her out directly."

"Actually, Fremea told me he did," he noted, scratching his cheek with a finger, "Last Order just didn't get the message. Maybe that's why he resorted to following her around?"

"If she didn't acknowledge his attempts, then he should either tell her directly or just give up," she gulped down her glass in annoyance before grabbing the bottle and pouring herself more wine, "I refuse to let a coward little punk like him date my little sister."

"I guess he fails, huh?" he let out an amused smile albeit sighing sympathetically at the thought of the boy, "Don't worry, I'll tell him when I see him again."

"Are you actually rooting for this kid?" she asked in disbelief.

"What? I can't help it if I could sympathize with him a little. Besides, I think it's nice that he's acting on his feelings."

"And this is coming from the person who hits on every girl he meets."

"Hey! I do not!"

"Oh, admit it. Just why do you think you had a harem a few years ago?"

"…what harem?"

Her eyebrow rose at him, "…you really don't know?"

He looked back at her blankly.

"Oh Kami, don't tell me you've never intentionally flirted with a girl before."

"I've never flirted with a girl before. Period."

Her palm connected with her forehead. This guy is unbelievable. "I don't know what to say to you anymore…"

"What?" he sounded almost demanding.

She turned to him once again, simultaneously pushing her Pyonko finger doll one square forward, "Touma, I have my next question now."

Her sudden change of topic seemed to confuse him a little but he relented, "Okay…?"

With all the seriousness in her being, she asked, "Are you gay?"

* * *

His jaw dropped, eyes widening at the unpredictable—and very offending (his masculine pride is hurt)—question. He had no idea why she would get an idea like that. "WHAT?!"

"Are you gay?" she repeated, and it bruised his pride even more that she seemed genuinely curious. It didn't help him any when she began to further elaborate, "You know, homosexual? Someone who likes people of the same—"

"I know what _'gay'_ means," he stopped her, an appalled expression never leaving his face, "But what the hell made you even _consider_ that I was?!"

She blinked innocently, "Well, you said you've never flirted with any girl before. I thought maybe because you just don't like girls."

"Have you ever thought about the possibility that I just wasn't interested with any of the girls I know?"

There was a flash of emotion on her face, but it came and went so fast that he couldn't identify what it was nor could he be sure that it wasn't his imagination. She replied to him dryly, "Like I said, maybe it's not girls that you like. Don't worry, you're not my first homosexual friend so I'm not judging you." she gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder, her lip beginning to twitch up. "I accept you just the way you are."

"Oi! Don't make up conclusions!"

"Oh c'mon, Tou~ma~chan. You don't have to deny it."

"_I am not gay!_"

By this time, his cheeks were already red in both embarrassment and the result of his shouting. She seemed unaffected though, grinning widely as she enjoyed humiliating him. He was _so glad_ that no one else was around.

"Prove it then," she said, not even bothering to hide her snickering.

He rubbed his palm against his burning face, willing the heat away as he grumbled, "Look. I've been attracted to a lot of women before but I'm not like other guys." He let out a sigh, silently appreciating the fact that she didn't persist on teasing him and instead listened, "Just because I developed a crush on someone doesn't mean I have to start dating them. At least, that's how I feel. Liking someone is something big for me, something that means a lot more than being attracted to a girl. And if I'll have it my way, I'd like my girlfriend to be my friend first."

A pleasant smile made its way to her face as she quipped, "You're such a sickeningly sweet and sentimental guy."

He grinned at her response, "But that's what you like most about me, isn't it?"

She slapped his arm playfully, making him chuckle. They drank and munched on their snacks for a few moments before Touma moved Gekota to the next square.

Refilling both their glasses, he said, "I've got a question."

"Shoot."

"Who was your first crush since going to Academy City?"

Mikoto almost choked on her own spit. "W-w-w-what is with that question?!"

He faced her, his eyes gleaming with amusement and interest, "Oho, Biribiri's really flustered!" he broke out into a grin as he pressed, "So? Is it someone I know?"

Her cheeks took on a deep shade of red as she tried to avoid his gaze, "No one! I never liked anyone!"

He snorted disbelievingly, "Liar. You're so red, it's like your cheeks are gonna explode."

At his words, she desperately covered her face with her hands, trying in vain to hide her red cheeks, "Shut up! I'm not answering such an idiotic question!"

"Oh c'mon, you were the one who suggested we play this game. And didn't you say we have to answer all of each other's questions truthfully?"

She refused to listen to him and instead quietly sipped her wine.

"C'mon, Mikoto, I'm not gonna tell anyone about it, you know?" he coaxed when she didn't reply. He then raised his right hand perpendicular to his arm in pledge, "This is an oath made by Kamijou Touma. This I swear that—"

"You."

"—I will never…"

"…"

"…what?"

"It's you, damn it! You're the first person I had a crush on since coming to Academy City!" she shouted, clearly embarrassed as shown by the dark red hue of her face. He stared at her, not quite believing what she had said just yet, "There! I admitted it! Happy?!"

He cleared his throat in discomfort, uncertain on how exactly he should reply to that, "…really? But… when…?"

"A few weeks after we first met," she admitted, not looking at him. He silently noted how long ago that was, "You were the first person I lost to but… you helped me a lot on different occasions and… then you suddenly saved me and my Sisters and…" she seemed to hit her limit when she suddenly cried, "Gah, damn it! This is really hard for me to admit, you know?!" she then proceeded to chug her wine down as if it was water.

He felt himself blush as well, "Er-ehm… alright…"

They both fell silent as they retreated into their thoughts. Touma desperately tried to recall if there were any indication of her crush on him four years ago. Back then, they were a little more than acquaintances but not quite friends. They help each other out but the constant violence from her end used to make him wonder what they really were.

After a few months though, they had been subjected to their first Christmas and New Year together, bringing the two of them just a little bit closer. They had started hanging out once in a while when they had returned to Academy City, and in his opinion, had become close enough for her to make him some obligatory choc—

He stopped short, finally realizing something, "…so uhm… those… chocolates on Valentines… they were…"

"Yes," she mumbled, still not looking at him, "Not that it matters though. You always seem to think their obligatory."

He really didn't know how else to respond to that, "Ah hahaha… sorry…"

Only the clinking sounds of their glasses hitting the bottle when he refilled them with wine could be heard for a long moment.

Hesitantly, he stole a glance at her, murmuring, "…it's your turn…"

"...give me a moment."

She seemed to contemplate for a moment longer before moving Pyonko to the next square. She paused as he took a sip, and then said, "…have you ever been in love?"

He choked when she finished, making him pound on his chest to will the burning alcohol away from his lungs. She looked at him in slight surprise as he blushed, "What the hell?!"

She blinked, "What?"

"What kind of question is that?!"

"Hey, it's a legit question so don't you go complaining. Besides, this is payback for that last question…" her voice decreased in volume as she finished her sentence.

He merely rubbed the back of his neck in response.

When he didn't speak, she prompted, "So?"

"I uh… I don't know the answer to that."

Her brows furrowed at his response, "What do you mean?"

"Well…" he hesitated, a little unsure of his next words, "How does it feel to be in love?"

She didn't respond, so he continued.

"I know how it feels to love, believe me, but in a different manner than a man would love his wife. Like you, of course, I've been interested in other people. I've had crushes but… can you call that love? If it's merely brought out from physical attraction or petty admiration?" he looked at her as he asked, still a little uncomfortable about the topic, "Just because someone makes you blush or makes your heart beat faster, it doesn't mean that you're in love, right?"

She glanced down at her glass and the slight uncertainty on her part somehow made him relax. He had never been one to talk about love and romance, but the knowledge that she'd take his words seriously—despite them being so corny—made him wonder why he was uneasy with her in the first place.

"So I really don't know…" he admitted, unashamed of his naivety regarding the topic because it was with her, "Maybe I've been in love but I don't have any recollection of the first seventeen years of my life so I can't really say. As for the years after that…" his voice lightens, trying to make a joke out of it, "Well, you know how much of an idiot I am so even if I _have_ felt it, I wouldn't know."

There was a pause before she replied, "Then… right now," she finally looked at him, her gaze serious, "Is there someone you care about more than everyone else?"

He was a little taken aback, making him frown lightly, "Now that question just isn't fair. How can you compare caring for one person more than another?"

"I didn't mean it like that." She told him softly as she explained, "I understand you can't weigh if you care more about someone over another person, but it's always different. Just like how I care about my Sisters in a different way than I care about my friends. What I'm asking is if there's someone you care about in a manner that's… different than others…."

He considered her words for a moment, "Different… huh…"

He thought about his family and remembered how much he came to care for his parents whom he met a mere four years before. He thought about his friends: Tsuchimikado and Aogami, those bastards of a brother he'd never wanted to have _(the words passed his mind with a smirk)_, Fukiyose and Himegami, the girls that kept him _(mostly)_ in line, Shirai, Ruiko and Kazari, the trio that provided him the same amount of normalcy and excitement in his boring life _(he was practically an illegitimate member of Judgment since meeting them)_, and finally he thought about—

"So?" her voice was soft in his silence, encouraging but not insisting.

—_her._

Misaka Mikoto, the girl who was kind and strong but vulnerable at the same time; the girl that had never once judged him for his mistakes; the person who worried about him so much but had always sent him off with a pat on his back; _his Biribiri_…

It was at that moment that he realized he felt different about her. He cared for her. She was a friend. But the thought of losing her several questions ago had made his heart stop. He _couldn't_ lose her. And as much as he cared for his other friends, he knew he wouldn't _survive_ without _her_.

The fact that it took him so long (and at her own prodding) for him to realize how he felt about her made him want to laugh at himself. He smiled at his stupidity, wondering for a moment if _this_ was how being _in love_ felt. "Yeah… I think so," he finally looked at her face and when he realized how everything in the world felt right, at that very moment with just him and her and no one else, he was sure,"Yep, there definitely is someone like that."

For some reason though, she frowned lightly, shifting her gaze away from his and looking worried. It made him worry about her too. "Is that so? …who is it?"

_'Is she…?'_ he entertained the thought for a moment. She had said she had had a crush on him before, and though she never said that she still did until now, she never denied it either.

The small glimmer of hope brought his courage up but he didn't feel ready to tell her. He just realized it himself. He needed some time to accept and get used to his own feelings first before he told her. So instead, he said, "No fair. It's my turn to ask."

"Oh c'mon, can't you answer one follow-up question?"

He shook his head, smirking, "No way. If you wanted to know, you should've phrased your question better."

Cue her cute pout, "Meanie."

He laughed at this, "I can't believe you still use words like that. Ow!" he yelped when he received another hit from her and raised his arms in defeat. "Alright, alright, sorry…" she huffed as he rubbed his abused arm, making him wonder for a moment if he's a masochist if the thought of her hitting him sounded more appealing than it should. He quickly threw away the ridiculous thought, and added, "But thanks."

She turned to him after sipping her wine, "Hm? What for?"

"If you hadn't asked me that question, I still wouldn't know that I care about _that person_ like that…" he told her, trying to be as vague as he could, "so thanks."

* * *

There was another silence as they both drank their liquor and ate some snacks. When they both emptied their glasses, Touma refilled them as he asked, "My turn?"

Mikoto nodded and watched as he moved Gekota to the next square,

He looked contemplatively at the finger doll for a moment before saying, "Why do you like Gekota so much?"

She blinked, "Haven't I ever told you before?"

"I wouldn't be asking if you had, now would I?"

Her eyebrow twitched lightly at his response but with a gulp of the red liquid, ignored the (very) slight annoyance she felt, "I'm not really sure, but Gekota was a character I grew up with, ever since I was little kid."

She swirled her drink around the glass, watching it as she tried to recall her childhood. Beside her, Touma patiently waited, keeping quiet until she continued.

"I remember that when I was little, papa came home more frequently than he does now, although it wasn't often in the first place. He started going on a lot of business trips when I turned three so I'd only see him once or twice every few months," she told him, setting her glass down on the floor and looking at the empty ceiling with a small smile, "I remember when he got home the first time after almost two months, he was carrying a Gekota plushie in a red checkered dress. When he gave it to me, he told me that he was sorry for not always being there, and that while he was away, Gekota would be the one looking over me."

She glanced at him briefly, and seeing a fond smile on his face, she couldn't help but mimic it, "So there you go. I like Gekota so much because it's the one thing that reminds me of papa so much, something that makes me feel that he's with me even though he's not."

"That was really deep." He remarked.

"Well, if you had asked about Kirugumar, it wouldn't have been," she replied a little jokingly, "You just have the knack of asking the questions that matters to me."

"Is that a good thing, or a bad thing?"

She hummed at this, "We'll see."

* * *

She moved Pyonko onto the next square before stating her next question, "Five years from now, where do you imagine yourself to be? Your personal life, I mean,"

"Personal?" he repeated, looking thoughtful, "You mean my love life?"

She blushed lightly, "Well, it doesn't have to be just that." She said, pausing in thought, "For example, do you plan on staying in Academy City? Do you want to travel the world? Do you want a family or something?"

He scratched the back of his head, pondering for a moment, "Well, you know I'm planning to be a teacher so staying in Academy City is a must, also because I want to join Anti-Skill." He told her, seriously trying to picture himself in the future. She had also mentioned having a family and the passing vision of him and her with children brought an almost goofy smile on his face.

He suddenly shook his head, almost feeling ridiculous at the thought. She had been with him for so long that he could no longer imagine a life without her. For heaven's sake, he hadn't even confessed yet! Why was he thinking of getting married so fast? "It'd be nice to travel the world," he agreed, but added, "But I wouldn't want to be alone. I'm not quite sure about getting married at that age. At least, the girl I like might still be studying by then so I can't be sure… I'm hoping I'd have a girlfriend by then though, so I can see the world with someone I love. It's a good thing too since she's always wanted to travel."

He caught a flash of jealousy on her face but she recovered so quickly that he wasn't completely sure. He wondered; if he gave her enough clues, would she realize he was talking about her?

"Married, huh?" she spoke almost wistfully, "It's a bit crazy to think that we're already at that age, you know, when we start thinking about the rest of our lives. The whole concept still seems so far-off to me."

"What? You've never thought of wanting a family?"

"Of course I have, but it's always been a vague thing to me. I do want a family, and I like the thought of being a mother, but I've always thought of it as something that would happen _'someday'_," she said as he watched her from the corner of his eyes, "_'Someday'_ when I'm finally a neurologist. _'Someday'_ when I'm finally with the person I'd like to spend the rest of life with… but right now, that _'someday'_ doesn't seem to be anytime soon."

He silently noted how she said _being with _the person she'd spend her life with rather than _finding_ the one. He shifted his gaze to the glass he was holding. _Someday_ he'd tell her. He'll make sure he'd be the one to bring that _someday _to her life.

He smiled at the thought before saying, "Who knows? Maybe that _'someday'_ is closer than you think. Maybe in five years, we'd be married."

He caught her blush.

He realized what he just said.

_Crap._

But even as he thought about the possible consequences or how stupidly_ stupid_ he was for indirectly confessing, he found that he didn't want to take his words back. Because, _Kami_, she's been there his whole life and had probably loved her for just as long but only realized it when she asked, and though he kept telling himself that he couldn't confess yet because it was too soon, he knew that he was scared.

And _hell_, he was so scared as he waited for her response, waiting for her to slap him or hit him or anything violent.

But it seemed that his entire monologue had been pointless because she merely shook her head, probably to will the flush in her cheeks away, before replying, "Yeah, maybe. I mean, Kuroko's wedding day is planned. Ruiko would probably come next and maybe in a few more years, we'd all be married, huh?"

His stomach dropped at her response.

"Uhm… y-yeah…"

_Damn it._ She misunderstood. In all the shows he'd watched with the sentence _'We'd be married someday'_, the speaker had always meant that they'd both be married to different people. Now that he meant that _'they'd be married someday'_, she ended up thinking he meant it the other way.

Such misfortune.

He let out a sigh, feeling incredibly disappointed with the development. Was she really being this dense? He'd been trying to subtly tell her but she's not getting the hints. Maybe he was the one who misread her earlier..?

"What's wrong?" she suddenly asked.

He turned to her and was slightly startled to see her inquisitive eyes trained on him. He tried to force out a smile, waving her off, "It's nothing. I was just… thinking…"

Her glabella scrunched up a little, "Of what?"

He averted his gaze, "…nothing."

"Oi, seriously, why do you look so down?"

He silently debated with himself if he should tell her. But doubt was piling up inside him and he didn't think he could handle a real rejection right now. "I'll tell you later, okay?"

She seemed conflicted between wanting to know what was troubling him and giving him space. But after a moment, she relented, "Alright. Later."

* * *

She silently wondered what was bothering him but decided that he'd tell her when the time came. She knew it had something to do with her answer but she couldn't figure out what. She'd been trying to be vague whenever he asked her questions related to her infatuation (a very weak word to describe it) towards him, and she almost misunderstood him when he suddenly said that _they'd be married someday_…

_Pft,_ as if he meant it the way she wanted him to. It was just another one of his nice but potentially misleading statements she had grown used to. The fact that she's used to them doesn't mean she's impervious though.

She mentally sighed.

"Your turn," she prompted when he didn't seem to be continuing.

He glanced at her briefly, before looking at the tiled strip of paper with the Gekota and Pyonko finger dolls, "Oh, right," he said absentmindedly before moving Gekota to the fifth square, "Looks like we're in the tenth question. We're halfway there."

"Yep, so ask a good one."

He paused for a moment, before finally speaking, "What's the one thing that you'd want to do above anything else before you die?"

She froze at his question, his words triggering a string of memories she had so desperately been trying to forget since graduating a week before.

_"…I can't cure natural death."_

_"We've done many things in our lives that we shouldn't have been able to do, all because of Onee-sama…"_

_"…we can still do something for them."_

_"…Onee-chan shouldn't be sad, says Misaka as Misaka tries to comfort you. We've known joy and sadness, pain and happiness, and love because of Onee-chan. None of us would've asked for more…"_

"Biribiri?"

She snapped out of her thoughts with the sound of his voice, bringing her back to reality. For a moment she remembered the reason why she thought of starting this tradition in the first place, and why she insisted holding their group vacation weeks before the time they usually have one.

Maybe Kuroko and the others noticed. Now that Mikoto thought about it, maybe that was the reason why her two friends went to such lengths just to lock her up with this idiot.

"Hey," he called out to her softly, turning his full body towards her as he scooted closer, "Are you alright?"

She must've been silent for too long because he sounded worried. She hugged her knee to her chest whilst stretching out the other one before answering him, "Yeah, I was just… thinking."

"Of what?"

The fact that their roles had immediately been reversed by a single question was not lost on her. It almost made her laugh her somber thoughts made it hard to do so. She instead focused on him, trying to respond to his question, "To answer your question, there's nothing I want to do."

She was trying to avoid the conversation. She knew that he knew and she was incredibly thankful that he didn't push the subject. She could feel his worried gaze on her but she ignored it, not wanting him to know.

For a long time neither of them spoke, merely waiting for the other to talk first. After a while, it was him that broke the silence, "You said, there's nothing you want to do… why not?"

"Because it's not about what I want to do, but the things that I _will_ do before I die," she told him, feeling her resolve fortify, "No matter what happens, no matter what it takes, I'll do those things…"

_"…tell me anything you want to do, and I promise you, every single one of you, I'll do anything to fulfill all 9969 of your requests…"_

She unconsciously bit her lip as she was reminded of her own words.

_"…please… let me do this for you…"_

She suddenly exhaled, standing up as she said, "Well, since we've reached the middle, how about a little break? I think I need to go to the bathroom. We can use this time to think about our questions too." She grinned at him, pretending that she couldn't see his bewildered face. He must be even more worried now.

And that's precisely why she needed to escape.

"Mikoto—"

"I really need a bathroom break right now, so I'm just gonna go," she cut him off, not giving him any chance to ask questions, "Don't worry, it'll only take a few minutes." She gave him one last smile before briskly walking towards the bathroom and away from him.

Even as she closed the door, she could feel his gaze burn against her back.

* * *

Touma wasn't sure what exactly happened.

One moment, she was fine, albeit seemingly worried about him, and the next, she was silent, lost in thought. At first he had chalked it all up as her considering her answer to his question but she had taken a moment too long and had looked a tad too somber that he somehow knew she had been thinking of something else.

And then suddenly came her hasty retreat. It was the second time that night that she had given him such a fake smile. He never found out what had been bothering her earlier that night but since she seemed fine afterwards, he thought she solved it all by herself. But now she was troubled again and it looked like it was a worse matter than before.

He let out a sigh, scratching the back of his head. Sometimes, he hated the fact that she was so strong and independent. She never liked relying on someone else if she could help it and it irks him at times. Didn't she know he was worried about her? Didn't she realize that he wanted to be there for her?

But thoughts like that won't help him. Instead, he tried to think of what might be troubling her.

He remembered about a week ago, the day after her graduation, Shirai Kuroko had called him at night, inquiring about Mikoto. The younger girl had told him that Mikoto had gone back to their shared dorm looking downcast but refused to talk to her about it. At this, she had referred to him, asking him whether her Onee-sama had told him what had been bothering her.

He didn't know, of course, and he tried to contact Mikoto that night as well but she didn't answer his calls. It had been close to midnight when he gave up and decided to call her in the morning. When he did, she sounded normal. A little too excited while she was telling him how she helped Heaven Canceller cure another patient that acquired brain damage, but still normal. It was then that she suggested they go on their group vacation a mere two days later—way earlier than they would usually hold it—to celebrate her graduation, at least that was what she had said.

Now he was beginning to regret not asking her more about it. He didn't know what she was going through but he had seen her expression when she spaced out earlier. It sent a chill through his spine when he saw her face.

Because the last time she saw her wearing an expression like that, it was four years ago, that fateful night on the Iron Bridge.

He gazed at the bathroom door where she just entered through. He was a little hurt that she didn't want to tell him her problems. He cared about her so much but… does she trust him?

Staring at the closed door defeatedly, he murmured, "Why won't you tell me?"

* * *

Mikoto splashed her face with cold water, leaving her panting as she leaned against the sink, watching the clear liquid flow violently from the tap.

That conversation, it had been haunting her the whole week.

She had managed to keep it from her friends, succeeding even just a little to shove it at the very back of her mind, binding it away from her thoughts so she could escape the horrible truth just for a short while. But Touma's questions had been wearing down the chains she had thrown around it, unknowingly breaking the lock that she had so desperately been trying to hold close.

Then he asked _that_ question.

_"There's something I need to tell the both of you."_

She clenched her eyes shut, hands gripping the sink tightly as the memory of her and Accelerator's conversation with Heaven Canceller the week before tore through her mind.

_Heaven Canceller looked at her, his voice grave, "It's about your Sisters."_

_ "What about them?"_

She gritted her teeth.

_"There's something we've discovered during one of their regular checkups," he turned the tablet he was holding over before handing it to her. Accelerator took a step beside her, looking over her shoulder, "Those are the results of their cell growth and hormone production; the ones we constantly adjust in order to regain their maximum lifespan."_

_ She and Accelerator were both taking medicine and were apprentices of Heaven Canceller himself. One look at the data he showed them, they knew._

_ "This is… is this for fucking real?!" Accelerator bellowed while she was frozen._

She felt her eyes water.

_"…how long?" it took everything in her to prevent her voice from trembling._

_ Heaven Canceller replied sadly, "Eight years at most."_

No, she will not cry.

_"Eight years? Are you fucking with me?!"_

_ "They're somatic-cell clones. They didn't have a long lifespan to begin with. The quickened growth they were subjected to just made it worse."_

_ "Are you telling me that all of them, even Last Order, are going to die in eight years?!"_

_ "That little clone shouldn't suffer the same condition. Her creation was a little different than the others so she'll live much longer. It's the same with the third generation one."_

_ "But the remaining 9969 Misaka clones will?"_

_ "Yes."_

_ "Fuck that!"_

_ "Please, isn't there anything we can do?" she finally found her voice but it was laced with the same amount of desperation she was feeling when she cut into the two males' exchange._

_ "I'm sorry," Heaven Canceller finally said, "But I can't cure natural death."_

Tears spilled from her eyes and she hastily wiped them before they could escape. She closed the tap, halting the running water.

_"…do they know?"_

_He nodded, "I've informed them about it."_

_Accelerator cursed under his breath, "So the brat already knows…"_

_"You might want to talk to them about this," Heaven Canceller said, moving towards the door of the room, "You have to understand how they all feel about the situation. If they feel anything at all…" he paused, "Whether you should mourn for them or not, is entirely up to you."_

_The door closed behind them, leaving her and Accelerator in silence._

She took a shaky breath, staring at the now empty sink.

_"He's right, you know," Accelerator spoke quietly beside her, "Death is never a joyous thing but they were given a chance to live. That's something to be proud about."_

_"They're not living as long as they should."_

_"But they're living as long as they could," the albino retorted, growling as he forced himself to sound more gentle, "Look, if you think it's not enough, we can still do something for them. It won't be a very big thing but enough to make each and every single one of their lives significant."_

She looked up to stare at her reflection, but instead of herself, she saw someone that possessed the same face.

_She cried hugging her little sisters, apologizing for something she doesn't know but she was certain that was her fault._

_"Please don't cry. Onee-chan shouldn't be sad, says Misaka as Misaka tries to comfort you." her little clone told her, rubbing her back, "We've known joy and sadness, pain and happiness, and love because of Onee-chan. None of us would've asked for more. So please don't cry."_

_"But in the end… I still couldn't save you…"_

_Misaka 10032, the one the Misaka clones chose to represent them, sighed audibly, sounding almost impatient, "Onee-sama has done enough. If it wasn't for Onee-sama, we would have never had a life at all, says Misaka as she tries to lessen the Original's sadness be sounding nonchalant."_

_"B-but…"_

_"We've done many things in our lives that we shouldn't have been able to do, all because of Onee-sama," the bigger clone said firmly, "Deep down, Misaka is a little afraid but we are happy. And the one who gave us that happiness was Onee-sama, says Misaka as she reassures her older sister. We wouldn't ask for anything more, repeats Misaka."_

She touched her forehead against the cool glass, her eyes drifting close as she repeated their words in her mind.

_She took both of her little sisters' hands when she finally stopped crying, looking at them with renewed determination, "Is there something you want to do?" she asked them, "If there is, I want you make a list of the things each of you would want to do before…" she struggled saying it, gripping their hands tighter, "before the eighth year comes. All 9969 of you…tell me anything you want to do, and I promise you, every single one of you, I'll do anything to fulfill all 9969 of your requests."_

_"But Onee-sama—"_

_"I know it sounds selfish of me but please… let me do this for you…"_

"No tears, Mikoto," she whispered to herself, "No more tears. You have to be strong for them. There are a lot of things you still have to do… no, you _will_ do all those things. For them. To let each and every one of them know that they were truly alive… that they were loved…"

But even as she spoke those words, salty droplets trailed down her cheeks.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

**_Glabella_ is the space between your eyebrows and above your nose** :)) fun facts

Here's Chapter 1! aka Questions 1-10! phew, I didn't expect to finish this tonight XDD it's late here and man! I told you I'm incredibly excited for this!

I'd like to thank **cupcakesarereallygood for Q3 by Mikoto: Do you ever regret having to lose your memories?** and** 5 for Q8 by Touma: Why do you like Gekota?** :))) see? i DID use your questions! XDD

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed on the previous chapters!** and **sorry for the pointless Extra Chapter** XDD I wanna have fun before things get depressing... and I just adore the concept of Fremea, Last Order and Kreutune being BFFs XDD they are adorable

I'm glad most of you liked the 4 year time-skip background story. It took me a long while to wrap it all up haha and to those who were wondering what Touma is taking in college, it was mentioned here XD had to think long and hard for that as well. And also **I was not joking about AccelXRuiko pairing so please... don't laugh at it T-T** Oh! and let me just say that** this fic is absolutely Shirai Kuroko interference free** so** no drop kicking out of nowhere when they're about to kiss**... but the question is...** will they kiss?** ***muwahahahaha*** sorry, spoilers ;)

This chapter** focuses more on Touma realizing his feelings for Mikoto** (if it wasn't obvious enough) and the establishment of the really somber mood next chapter. Some of you may not like long chapters but I find it necessary not to cut in the middle because it'll just ruin the mood. I'd be doing similar for the next chapter so** expect it to be as long or even longer than this one.**

Hopefully, I did not, and will not, disappoint any of you :))

Some of you might want to discuss** the problem about the Misaka clones.** Why did I do it? Because I think it's **the best motivation for the really angsty mood that I wanted to establish.** This may have started kinda light but I promise you, it's gonna get even more depressing. But if you're asking** if the Misaka clones' condition is possible.**.. that,** I'm not sure** of. It had been mentioned that they have shorter lifespan and needed adjustments and all that but I'm in no way, shape or form a doctor so** most things written here about that are assumptions and reasons bent to fit my will** :DD so **I really hope no one would** review and **nag me about that.**

Oh, and** if there are OOCness with Touma and Mikoto, blame that on the 4 year time-skip,** okay? :)

Now onto the little details...

**is accelerator OOC in the flashback?** really not sure but meh, it's done. nothing i can really do about it XDD

**Are Last Order and Misaka 10032's speech pattern correct?** I mostly base it off the LN but... oh well.

**Were the revelations too out of the blue?** I gotta admit I finished the Prologue before I even thought of putting the whole Misaka clones dilemma. Not sure if I patched the plot hole up well or not...

**~~Review and tell me how you think about this!** Are you excited for the last chapter? You can** leave a Favorite or Follow this story as well and make sure you share this story to your fellow Kamikoto readers**. it helps us out a lot :))

I'll see you next chapter! ...which would probably be released next year XDD

**~~61wisampa**


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